“So what do you do all day?”

0631

Often I’m asked by friends/family/acquaintances who don’t frequent the world of blogging/social media management/digital freelance “What exactly do you do?” in reference to the fact that I manage to make a few bob working from home, and around the children (the holy grail of working parenthood to many).

Well, I thought I would share (in the sort of over-sharing way that bloggers do), what I usually get up to on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, which are my working days and the days that Sasha is in preschool and Freddie is at school. 

This is a typical working day for me:

6am – Alarm goes off. Snooze for a bit longer. Snooze some more unless a small child has loudly frequented the bed. It’s harder in the winter, what with it being dark, but I actually like being up and about early and getting a head start on the day. I jump in the shower, get dressed and do something with my face, before heading downstairs to get Freddie and Sasha sorted for the day. Even though I work from home, I still like to get myself looking presentable as I feel it really ‘sets me up’ for the day. If I bum around in my joggers and no make up, then for some reason I don’t feel as ‘ready to go’. And besides, I still have the school run to do!

7am – Get kids breakfast, me a large glass of water and then a coffee, get kids dressed and teeth done, make sure book bags sorted, school shoes polished and any other housey jobs (i.e. wash load on, dishwasher emptied) before we head out of the door. Because we’re up so early, I find this is the best time for Freddie to do his homework as he’s not tired like he is after school. I tend to grab myself a banana, yoghurt and handful of nuts before we leave the house.

8.30-9.15am – School run, negotiating the pain-in-the-arse that is parking near Freddie’s school (we have to drive), then drop Sasha at preschool straight after Freddie. 

0061

9.30am – Cuppa made, usually start working at my desk in our new home office (I love it SO much!). First, I check and respond to any important emails, and check in quickly on all my personal/blog social media accounts. I’ll also share any new blog post that’s been published first thing/overnight. On a Monday, I’ll contact my social media clients, and go through the strategy for the week/month, and discuss what they want promoted/what messages they want put across/any news etc. I’ll then work on this for a couple of hours before lunch, and plan for the week ahead. 

11.30am – I’m usually hungry by this point, so will make myself an early lunch- usually something eggy or a big salad. I’ll do a couple more ‘housey’ jobs and check in with my husband (hey husband!)/friends on What’s App, before getting back to work. 

12.15pm – Now I’ll work on my blog, either writing posts, planning posts, writing sponsored posts for brands/brand collaborations, or taking photos for posts in order to make the most of the good light (which is particularly tricky in winter!). There’s actually not much time now, so I’ll really crack on. On an ad-hoc basis I’ll photograph any new stock for my Etsy homeware store or package up orders, either to leave for the courier, or to take to the Post Office if it’s an overseas order. It’s a bit of a juggling act, and I have to prioritise on a daily basis! 

2.15pm – Check and respond to emails again, and client social media one last time, before dashing out of the door to go and pick Freddie up from school at 3. Sasha doesn’t finish preschool until 4pm, which leaves us with an hour to kill 3 days a week, so we’ll either pop back home for a snack and do some reading practice, or go for a hot chocolate at a nearby cafe as a treat.

4.15pm – All about the kids. I’ll play with them for a bit, before doing their tea whilst they watch telly, then bathtime, PJs, play with Daddy (Adam is usually home from work by 6pm), and then reading for a while. Sometimes I’ll have to respond to an urgent email or phone call, but I really try not to unless absolutely necessary. Otherwise I feel my brain frying between parenting demands and working demands and it makes me really stressed and prone to being a bit shouty, which is not cool and very unfair on Freddie and Sasha. I’ve been feeling so much better since not to trying to multi task all the time, and clearly separating the two.

7-7.30pm – Bed for small people! 

7.30pm – Adam and I talk whilst cooking dinner, and then 3 days a week I usually work in the evening too. This is when I do photo editing (as I quite enjoy doing this in front of the telly), finish off any outstanding blog posts, and read and comment on other blogs, which is a pretty important (and enjoyable!) part of networking within the blog community. I got really slack about the latter last year, so this year I’d like to be more sociable online. I also have a notepad where I joy any post ideas down, and I also might send an email introducing myself to any companies that I’m keen on working with. I’m a big believer in if you don’t ask- you don’t get! 

11.30pm – Bed, and read for 15 minutes if I’m not too tired!

I also fit in 3 gym sessions a week- one on a Tuesday morning, a weekday evening one, as well as a weekend morning class. In September I started going to the gym 3 times a week after dropping S at preschool, but found I couldn’t fit enough work in to do that every time. If I get ahead of myself on a Monday, then I can have a guilt-free 9.30am Tuesday spin class, and be home by 10.30am to start work 15 minutes later!

Wednesdays and Fridays are my days with Sasha which I’m really making the most of before she starts school in September, but I still might do half an hour of emails on those days after lunch and when she’s having a bit of telly time.

I think if you don’t work from home it looks cushty, and in many ways it is (flexible time, no commute etc), but it can be hard to stay motivated with no one to bounce ideas off, and sometimes lonely *sob!* You also have to be strict (I think) and not blur the lines between work and family life, which can be hard when you’re doing everything from home. Having a dedicated working space has really helped with this, and I’ve found it so much better since I left working in the kitchen and de-camped upstairs!

So that’s my typical working week- What does yours look like? Have you written a post about yours before? I’d love to know as I’m nosy and want to see how other people do it who also blog/work from home!

 

Linking up with Jenny and ‘Share With Me’

Follow:

19 Comments

  1. January 5, 2016 / 1:07 pm

    I work full-time so my blogging time tends to be concentrated into weekends – I do long sessions (4 hours or more) into the small hours on at least one if not both Friday and Saturday (because my life is THAT exciting), a couple of hours or so at a time on a couple of weeknights, pockets of time in my work day (I often do short bursts if I’m in the office early or late or while eating lunch at my desk) and then catching up on social media ‘in the cracks’, as I call it – walking between meetings or when going to grab a coffee. So typically 4-10 hours at weekends, maybe another 4-6 on weeknights and a few minutes here and there at other times (like now!)

    • Becky
      Author
      January 5, 2016 / 1:24 pm

      ooh Tim, you are HARDCORE! I think people are awesome who work full time in another role, yet still find time to run a successful blog on the side 🙂 I must admit, I’m partial to a bit of Friday/Saturday night blogging too, and sometimes secretly like it if Adam is out as, of course, someone has to be home with the kids, and I can blog away guilt-free!

  2. Carie @ Space for the Butterflies
    January 5, 2016 / 1:08 pm

    I work from home one day a week so that I can do the school runs and have lunch with the littlest two and H and mostly it requires being relentlessly organised so that I get to do everything I want to do. It’s more muddled up so sometimes it feels like a much longer working day but it’s definitely worth it!

    • Becky
      Author
      January 5, 2016 / 1:26 pm

      Oh yes Carie, organisation is definitely key- if I drop all the balls on one day, then it takes me a few to get a rhythm back again! Echoing what I said to Tim (above), I am in awe of you guys who have other careers, yet still keep fantastic blogs going 🙂 x

  3. January 5, 2016 / 1:19 pm

    I love posts like this. I find it really interesting to know how people construct their days when they work in blogging, I’d love to be in a similar role to you one day, my heart lies with Social Media / blogging and not with HR sadly!

    Your office looks fab!

    • Becky
      Author
      January 5, 2016 / 1:29 pm

      Aah thanks lovely 🙂 x

  4. January 5, 2016 / 2:30 pm

    Further proof that you are superwoman! I loved this honest insight on how you juggle it all … instead of asking, “What do you do all day?” I’d be more likely to ask, “HOW do you do everything that you do all day?!”

  5. Not A Frumpy Mum
    January 5, 2016 / 3:35 pm

    I loved reading this Becky and what you get up to during the day. As someone whose time is rule by bells it sounds bliss to have the flexibility that working from home can give you but I know I would struggle to motivate myself (I’m a lazy sod at heart!) xx

  6. January 5, 2016 / 5:27 pm

    I love this Becky, really enjoy reading what you get up to, and your day is very similar to mine. I only try and work 2-3 evenings of the week too, I struggled a lot with a work/life balance at the beginning of the year but luckily I’ve completely sorted it out. (most of the time) Having the evening with my husband and chilling out is so important to me. X

  7. January 6, 2016 / 9:20 am

    Definitely hard to stay motivated and not just sit and do nothing when you work from home isn’t it? Great seeing what your routine is, I love posts like this. #SharewithMe x

  8. January 6, 2016 / 10:05 am

    Sounds like you fit in quite a lot to me! I am always having to justify my existence at home to people and it really annoys me. I think writing it down makes you realise that you do so much and others that working from home is a proper job. I’m only home 2 days a week and the time flies by so quickly! Your office is gorgeous – love the colours. Gym three times a week is impressive, I’m lucky if I go twice but am going to make that a priority in 2016. I too got slack at reading other blogs last year. So important and enjoyable – such a great community when you get stuck in. x x

  9. Coombe Mill - Fiona
    January 6, 2016 / 10:25 am

    My week sounds much the same as yours adding in managing the farm and holiday makers, but with older children they take less time from me, but need endless running around which is the downside of living in the countryside. I wouldn’t have it any other way though, I like to fit work around my family and to be there is they need me

  10. Complicated Gorgeousness
    January 6, 2016 / 10:52 am

    Yay to being more sociable online – I am going to try too. And my days are very similar as I work from home all the time now. I said to the husband I need to make sure I meet up with people on my day off otherwise I’ll forget how to speak ha xx Good luck in 2016

  11. Rachel In Real Life
    January 6, 2016 / 3:35 pm

    As someone who has mobility issues, is classed as disabled and has been legally signed off from employment indefinitely, I find I have to justify staying at home, like it’s anyone else’s business. I really want to look into working from home either as a social media manager, virtual assistant or copywriter, or even a combination of all three and it needs to be from home so that I have the flexibility to choose my hours, nap if I need to etc. I loved reading how you do it all and it sounds like you get a good balance.

  12. January 7, 2016 / 12:33 am

    I love reading posts like this and seeing how other work at home mums manage their time – I tend to end up blogging every single evening and I really need to try harder to curb that (but I have a clingy toddler at home all day who doesn’t like to let me work while he’s around, even though his Dad is there to look after him!).

    I get very tired of the constant questions about what I do with my time!! xx

  13. Ca
    January 7, 2016 / 10:44 am

    I work from home pretty much most of the week also, in digital marketing/blog related stuff and have done for the last 4 years. People do think it’s easy or some say they’d struggle to be motivated to work… and that’s true some days..some days when my kitten comes to sit on my lap, then moves to the keyboard and is relentless in this task it can make work quite the challenge!
    I love working from home in that it gives me the flexibility to do the school runs, attend school events and take my 2 dogs for a nice long walk at lunchtime.

  14. Natalie
    January 7, 2016 / 9:58 pm

    Oh sounds like you are super busy and now I feel a little lazy!!! I enjoyed reading this post (I am super nosy!) xx

  15. January 8, 2016 / 7:28 pm

    I’ve been working from home for about 8 years — and trying to fit everything in was hard BEFORE I had the twins! It’s crazy now — especially as I’ve added even more pressure to myself with the blog! Love this post Becky 🙂 I love seeing how other people manage their time and juggle everything they need to do in a day xx #ShareWithMe

  16. Jenny
    January 11, 2016 / 6:29 pm

    I absolutely love this and so true too. We have very similar work days but mine are Tues/Thurs while MM is in nursery and B at school. It’s hard to explain to some people sometimes when they don’t get what a blog is and does. I find it hard as I don’t have work space yet begging the MR for one as we speak but I try to get work done during work days and home cleaning kids doc apt and everything else on the other days. It’s hard to get it all done but I am grateful I can do this from home abide the loneliness *sob too as I do miss having work friends but that’s what I call my social media friends now. Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me blog hop. I hope to see you again this week for another great round. #sharewithme

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *